For the second time in five years, Denver Police have apologized to the Hells Angels motorcycle club for possibly violating the group's Constitutional rights. In a settlement released Thursday, attorney David Lane said Denver and Mountain View Police agreed to pay a total of $14,000 to the group, and apologize for a Sept. 2, 2005 traffic stop in Mountain View.
During that stop, which the Angels lawsuit said was made without probable cause, Denver Police arrived for backup and held the Hells Angels at the rifle-point for about an hour while each was searched.
In his letter, Denver Manager of Safety Al LaCabe apologizes, and wrote, "at no time did any officer or the City and County of Denver ever intend to violate your Constitutional rights.
"We apologize if this may have inadvertently occurred."
Mountain View Police Chief Eric Gomez wrote an identical letter. The traffic stop resulted in one ticket for speeding and the arrest of two Hells Angels for carrying concealed weapons.
In 2003, the city wrote a similar letter to the Hells Angels and paid $50,000 after a DPD raid on the group's clubhouse.